Repeating Mistakes
by AstridWinchester
Summary: Not part of the story with Kol Mikaelson. Arsenic (Ana) and Sam Winchester have been traveling when they come across an old friend of hers.


_**A/N: Not part of the story with Kol Mikaelson. Arsenic (Ana) and Sam Winchester have been traveling when they come across an old friend of hers. I do not own the original characters, merely play with them :)**_

Ana and Sam had been traveling together for a while and in that time they'd grown closer. She had her moments where she was moody but the hunter had begun to pick up on her quirks and when to avoid touching her. Even though they had several chances to, neither had decided to call it quits and go their separate ways. The hunts they went on were easier since they had each other to rely on but they still had times when they did their own thing. She dealt with the things that he couldn't, and when they had to enter a house that she wasn't able to, Sam took over. She'd learned that he hated the song 'Heat of the moment' (even though he never explained why) and Sam had learned bits and pieces about the vampire in return. Somewhere along the way they had stopped buying a room with two beds but it was a topic left undiscussed, simply accepted.

Everything had been going fine until one evening when Ana had been in town and Sam had stayed at the hotel. The vampire had decided to go for a drink but the hunter had opted out, claiming he was tired so she had gone alone. When she finally returned, she was shocked to not only find Sam tied to a chair and unconscious, but the presence of a very familiar person in their room.

"Hello darling, fancy meeting you here," the Original said with a bit of a grin that she knew better than to trust.

"Kol," she acknowledged and eyed him. Sam's heart was still beating so she focused her attention on the more pressing problem. The two had never really been on good terms and to see him was enough to make her wary. "I thought you were in Mystic Falls."

Kol shrugged from his place against the wall, his eyes never leaving hers and very much at ease. He found her attitude amusing. The truth was that he'd only happened upon her and the hunter she'd been spending so much time with by accident a week ago and had since been keeping an eye on them. Never one to waste an opportunity to harass her, he'd waited until she'd gone and left him alone, giving the vampire the perfect chance to grab the hunter.

"I was, but then I heard something interesting. It seems that a certain hybrid I know has been hunting her own kind and with a Winchester no less." As he said this, he noticed her tense and gave her another grin. He tsked at her, shaking his head slowly and mockingly. "Someone's been a naughty girl."

"What I do and who I do it with is none of your business, Kol," she hissed angrily.

"I'd watch that temper if I were you or I'll rip the boy's heart out of his chest," he threatened. She made to move closer to Sam but he intercepted her, rushing over to pin her to the wall with one hand and searching her eyes. "What are you doing with him, Ana? Hunting with him, working together, sleeping with him even? Have you forgotten what his kind did to you? Are you really so stupid as to care for him?"

"Why do you care?" she tossed back, refusing to dignify any of his questions with an answer.

He _did_ care, more than she realized but not for the reasons she might have thought or ones he'd admit. They had been friends once before their falling out and to hear that she had taken up with Sam drove him to want answers. Not only was she betraying what she was, but she was repeating her own mistakes and he meant to know why. They were better than the humans and hunters, and if she couldn't see it, he would make her. Even if it meant killing the hunter right in front of her, she would realize the error she was making. The fact that she would hate him for it was irrelevant, it wasn't the first time she'd hated him and he was fine with going back to that.

Just then there was a groan as Sam came around and Kol was spared from having to answer but he didn't release her yet, glaring right back at her. After a moment, he drew his hand away and faced Sam, the smile back on his face and he didn't miss the concerned look that was sent in Ana's direction. So the hunter cared about her too. That wouldn't be the case for too much longer, he'd personally see to that. "Why don't you introduce me to your friend sweetheart?" Kol said to Ana who stepped away from the wall to stand near him. One glance at her warned her not to go any further and she stopped in her tracks, not wanting to risk Sam's life. Kol never bluffed and she was well aware of this; if he chose to, he could follow up on his threat to rip out Sam's heart quicker than she could blink and she'd be powerless to do anything about it.

"Sam, this is Kol." Ana's voice was steadier than she'd expected it to be and her eyes never left the Original. She didn't understand the reason for him being there but she knew how unpredictable he could be.

"Sam Winchester, it is a pleasure to finally meet you," Kol grinned.

"I wish I could say the same," Sam answered and she could see the hardened hunter she'd glimpsed a few times over the last few months take control. "But from where I'm sitting, you're just another blood sucker."

Kol closed the distance between him and Ana, trailing a fingertip down her cheek to her chin in a caress once he'd reached her. _It was a pity that she chose to be a fool_, he thought, _she had so much potential_. She didn't do anything more than glare at him and Sam tried again to get free, not liking the way Kol was watching her. "You should tell him to have more respect for me, Ana. I am an Original after all and it's only too easy to snap that neck of his. You don't want that, do you?" he whispered so close to her that his lips almost brushed against hers.

"Kol, you've made your point, please go."

"My point? Oh princess, I haven't even started."

"Then what_ is_ the point? What are you really doing here?" she demanded.

"You've forgotten the lesson I taught you my dear," he leaned forward to murmur in her ear and smirked at her resulting growl. "Allow me to refresh your memory, hm?"

Sam looked between the two vampires, not comprehending anything but that for the first time since he'd met her, Ana was afraid. They'd fought a lot of demons and things since they'd been traveling and she'd never batted an eyelash, but something about this other vampire was making the hybrid nervous. "I take it you two know each other?" he asked to buy time as he worked at the ropes that bound his wrists.

"Oh we go way back," Kol grinned as he answered without looking away from her. "Don't we, Ana? Before she even became a vampire," he added. "I don't suppose she told you that story?"

"Kol…" Ana spoke softly, a plea clear in her tone that he ignored. She could tell where he was going with this and was beginning to understand his motives and they were giving her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"It's riveting story, Sam, such a tragedy. You see, Ana here fell for a vampire." He circled her with a smirk and then turned back to Sam. "I warned her not to, that love is nothing but a weakness. She wouldn't listen to me. Then Ana gets jumped by hunters one day and mortally wounded. When she wakes up, she discovers that Romeo had been dosing her with vampire blood, his blood to be specific. Why was that again, darling?" Clenching her fists, Ana gritted her teeth and didn't respond. Kol lifted a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear in an action that could have been considered tender before he forced her to meet his gaze to compel her. "Answer the question," he ordered.

"He wanted to create a sire bond, to make me into a weapon that he could use," she obeyed reluctantly. Her hatred for Kol rising and shining in her green eyes, she stopped talking until he raised an eyebrow at her, telling her to go on with the rest of the story. "It didn't work."

Satisfied that she seemed to be getting the message, he broke the eye contact and went back to lean casually on the wall, waving a hand for her to continue. Sam was silent as he listened, the ropes forgotten in the midst of the situation. She'd mentioned to him about how vampires were made but he'd never asked about her own experience.

"I learned that he'd been following me for months, planning to gain my trust. And that he'd hired the hunters to kill me so he wouldn't have to get his hands dirty." Ana couldn't bring herself to look at Sam and instead kept watching Kol as she finished the tale. "I beheaded him for betraying me."

"And then what happened, darling?" Kol taunted, enjoying the fire snapping in her eyes. "Who was it that took you out hunting to complete the transition?" He pretended to think about it. "That's right! It was _me_." After this she would likely never speak to him again but since he'd accomplished what he'd set out to do, he didn't care. By making her spill her darkest secret and remember what had happened the last time, he'd made sure she would not fall for the hunter. In his own twisted way, he was doing this for her own good.

Rushing over to stand inches away from Kol, she snarled at him. "Then you rubbed it in my face and said 'I told you so.' And if memory serves, I swore to kill you." What she wouldn't give to be able to that very second but she knew it was impossible. Kol was centuries older than her and she didn't have a dagger or white oak stake handy. "Why are you doing this? Do you really hate me that much that you have to ruin everything good in my life?" she demanded of him in a low growl.

The Original sighed and looked down to shake his head at her, smiling again. "This is so not about hating you."

"Then what is it about?" Sam interrupted, hoping to tear Kol's attention away from Ana. He'd nearly gotten his wrists free and would deal with Ana's story later once they were alone, assuming Kol left that is. He didn't like the other vampire at all and could tell how upset Ana was and seeing her that way only made him more determined.

"Isn't it obvious? Ana has feelings for you, Sam." Kol gestured to the two of them, his eyes narrowing. "The two of you are idiots if you think that whatever you have will last. Sooner or later, one of you will turn on the other." Kol walked over to kneel before Sam and Ana followed his every movement but stayed where she was. "Has she told you how many hunters she slaughtered?" he asked, holding the hunter's gaze. "How she enjoyed every single kill? I was there; I've never seen someone so bloodthirsty in her revenge."

"I'm not the same person anymore," she objected and he whirled on her.

"Yes you are! The only difference is that you flipped your switch and now you're being foolish and weak." Again he advanced on her, invading her personal space, his voice dropping dangerously. "Lie to yourself all you want Ana, but you know I'm right. Sam may be on your side now but one day you're going to find a stake in your chest because you were stupid enough to trust him. And when that happens? You're going to realize the same thing you did when that vampire betrayed you: that love has brought you nothing but pain and that you welcomed it with open arms anyway." When she didn't respond, he backed off, scoffing at her in disappointment. "Or maybe I should kill him right now. Save us both the trouble since I'm the one you'll probably blame when it happens."

Before she could reply, he'd blurred over to stand behind Sam and pulled him from the chair, his fangs out and hovering inches from the hunter's neck, poised to strike. Sam tried to struggle and Ana acted without thinking by grabbing Sam and tossing him away, throwing a punch at Kol as she did so. Both vampires growled at each other, neither aware that Sam had drawn his gun until he'd shot Kol repeatedly. The Original turned on Sam and was about to kill him, but was stopped by Ana tossing him into the wall hard enough to dent it. The hybrid immediately went to stand in front of Sam to protect him and Kol got to his feet, wiping at the trickle of blood running from his lip.

"You're seriously defending him?" he asked in disbelief and she lifted her chin in defiance. She couldn't kill Kol but she wouldn't stand by and let him murder Sam either. The most that she could do was snap Kol's neck or back to get them enough time to make a break for it but she wasn't entirely positive that she would be able to without being hurt herself in the process. "You're pathetic, Ana," he spat as he moved faster than she could react. For a fourth time that night he got in her face, only centimeters away, his lip curled in contempt. "Fine. You want your precious hunter? You win, I tried."

Unsure whether she could trust him to leave without another attack, Ana examined him quietly and didn't react. Kol headed for the door then looked back at her. "Don't say that I didn't warn you when that day comes, and I promise you it will." Without another word, he disappeared, leaving the hotel and the two of them behind. The silence stretched on for several minutes as they waited for Kol to return but when he didn't, Ana let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.

How was she supposed to go on the way they'd been? Kol had been a royal bastard and his methods had been screwed up, but he'd only voiced the doubt she'd been trying not to listen to since the very instant she'd met Sam. Going over to the bed and sinking down onto it, she rested her head in her hands and waited for him to say something.

"Nice guy," Sam joked but she didn't so much as crack a smile. Sam could almost see the wall she was building as she started to shut him out and he went over to sit beside her, lifting her head to make her look at him. She tried to avoid his eyes and jerk her chin away but he kept his grip firm. "I told you before Ana, you shouldn't worry so much about what I think of you. That guy was an ass and he was wrong."

Hazel eyes held green as Ana finally stopped fighting against him and relaxed very slightly. "You don't know that, Sam. You've also said that you're afraid you'll have to hurt me one day," she reminded him softly. She wanted desperately to believe him, but Kol's visit had reopened old wounds that had never fully healed which had been his intention all along.

Instead of replying, he kissed her. She was right, he'd said that once but that had been before he'd gotten to know her. There was more good in her than she would willingly admit and he knew that, had seen proof of it several times on their cases. Despite what hunters had done to her, what she'd done to them, she'd taken on another vampire for him that night. She'd risked her own life to save his.

"That was before I knew the real you," he told her. "I do now and I won't betray you. I've had just as many chances to as you have, but we're still here. Still traveling together. I like having you around, Ana, having you on my side and watching my back."

Smiling a little more genuinely, she grasped his hand and held it in her lap. At least he wasn't turning his back on her and that meant more to her than she could express. Sam hesitated then cleared his throat and licked his lips. "That other stuff he was saying, about how you turned…that really happened?" His hopes that Kol hadn't been telling the truth were answered by the wince she gave and he knew to never bring it up again. "I'm sorry Ana, you didn't deserve that."

"Yes I did," she argued and got up to pace. "You have to feed on human blood to turn and I didn't want to die twice. He took me out and I killed someone. That's when I shut off my humanity and for 150 years, I killed and tortured a lot of hunters all because of vengeance; he didn't lie about that either."

Sam stood and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Everybody makes mistakes, Ana. You were betrayed and weren't yourself anymore."

"And what makes me any different today? My switch being on and the fact that I haven't killed you yet?" She didn't want to admit it to herself but Kol's words had struck a blow.

"That's exactly it!" he exclaimed. "You saved me tonight and fought a friend of yours. You'd never have done that back then."

"'Friend' might be stretching things a bit," she grumbled. If they ever crossed paths again she and Kol would be having words, she vowed.

"What did he mean by he's an Original?" He'd been wondering about that since Kol had said the term. He'd heard of alphas but wasn't sure if that was the same thing or not.

"The Originals are a very old family, the start of our kind of vampire and from them we were created. One of them turned the vampire that turned me; I'm not sure which one. It's all about bloodlines. There used to be seven of them but it's down to four now and Kol is one of those four." She sighed as she answered his question; not for the first time wishing that she'd never met Kol.

"And you two knew each other before you turned?" Sam asked just to clarify. "Did you guys ever…?"

Ana laughed and shook her head hurriedly. "Definitely not. We were friends once before the whole thing happened and afterward when we ran into each other, I'd end up trying to kill him but they can only be killed in a specific way and I hadn't known that then."

"Maybe he was jealous," he suggested and she arched a brow skeptically. "You're settling for a human and a hunter instead of one of your own kind or him. If he can't have you, no one can; that sort of deal."

Again she laughed and dismissed the idea as ridiculous. "He's not one to care about people enough to get jealous. He came here to be a bastard like always and to drive a wedge between us, that's all this was. He was probably just bored and this was his idea of fun."

"Well he failed because none of it matters. I know who you are and it's the same girl I've been hunting with. Let's just go back to that and forget this happened, okay?" Sam reassured her and spoke with conviction in his tone and complete honesty. She had a past, so what? He did too. She made the choice daily to help him and not kill innocent people and that was the important thing.

Without meaning to and without her permission, a tear trekked down her cheek and he wiped it away, smiling at her. She could only nod and for once she didn't object as he tugged her back to the bed and lay down, pulling her with him. Before long Sam had fallen asleep, the evening pushed aside, and Ana didn't even mind the fact that she was curled against him. Her last thought before she joined him was that just maybe there was hope for them after all and that Kol was wrong this time.


End file.
